Karunanidhi praised for message on Balasingham

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 December 2006, 18:31 GMT]S.P. Thamilchelvan, head of Liberation Tigers Political Division, in his concluding telecast address to expatriate Tamils in Alexandria Hall in London Wednesday to pay last respects to theoretician and political advisor of the LTTE Mr. Anton Balasingham, thanked Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, Muthuvel Karunanidhi, for the comfort he gave to Tamils worldwide by being the first voice to deliver condolence message from Tamil Nadu, and to Ms Adele Balasingham for her three decade long service to welfare of Tamil women and for her motivating support to her husband's service as the "Voice of Tamil Nation."

Although organizers of the event said a conservative estimate of the attendence was more than 20,000, attendees to the event said the continuous stream, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., of visitors from across the world to the event was more close to 50,000.

Excerpts from Mr. Thamilchelvan's speech follow:

"The entire Tamil race is engulfed in grief over the loss of Bala annai. The loss of the foremost son of our Liberation struggle movement is difficult to accept by any Tamil.

"Though he was aware that death was closing on him, Bala Annai spoke without the slightest hesitation and unflinching determination about his goal. "Man must face death with courage and life becomes meaningful only in the awareness and clarity of that courage," Bala Annai used to say, and he has made his own life meaningful.

"The path to an Independent Tamil Eelam shone bright in his thoughts. His life intertwined with lives of Tamil people, our Liberation movement and its leadership, and which relentlessly strived to alleviate the sufferings of Tamils, complemented by his philosophical search, expressed new meanings of life to the world.

"The relationship he had with our National Leader became the wheels of our Chariot Liberation to drive it around the world. He was a co-traveller in our journey towards liberation. As Pirapaharan's close friend, and our senior most political guru, he shone bright as a gifted diplomat endowed with impressive political acumen who could direct, and express with clarity diplomatic and strategic moves of our leadership. Our leader describes Bala Annai's multifaceted relationship as 'an unique relationship, mellowed with the passage of time, shaped by history, acquiring an ideal form."

"Bala Annai became a partner in the struggle for freedom when internal and external factors forced its evolution into an armed struggle. He was pained by the deterioration of the aspirations of our race. The lack of political vision and pragamic leadership of our past leaders, troubled him. Realising the futility of the nonviolent political struggle adopted for more than three decades, he articulated forceful ideas to streamline the revolutionary approach of our movement.

"Bala Annai's confident and powerful voice found expression in speeches, talks and international conferences, and was dominated the debates he participated. He highlighted the suffering of our race's soul. He fought against a unsympathetic world which tried to brand liberation movements and freedom struggles as terrorism. He spoke unceasingly on the need for the freedom of the Tamil nation and provided eloquent arguments justifying the struggle.

DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi

"Honourable Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Mr. M. Karunanithy was foremost in expressing his condolence on the demise of our Voice of the Nation. We wish to convey our gratitude on behalf of our movement and our National leader for his voice from Tamilnadu. We are grateful for him for the honour he bestowed on Bala Annai as the one who kept the flame of Tamileelam's self-respect burning. By this act Mr Karunanidhy had proclaimed to the world, the self-respect of the entire Tamils. We wish to convey our gratitude to all the leaders of Tamilnadu, lovers of Tamil people, Tamil media persons, Tamil poets, writers and other artistes who had expressed their grief on the demise of Bala Annai.

"We also would like to thank the political leaders, party leaders and Tamil Liberation supporters in Sri Lanka on behalf of our movement for extending their condolence on the loss of our Voice of the Nation.

"Our gratitude goes to the Norwegian Ambassadors, ministers and political leaders who expressed their grief at the loss of Bala Annai. Hon. Minister Erik Solheim said, "Anton Balasingham strove for truth, always spoke the truth and has never lied for any reason whatsoever."

"We wish to share Adele Auntie's grief. She has been the indispensable support in all his endeavours. She had been the strength and the driving force in the long service of Bala Annai for the Tamil nation. She had been a loving wife, a nurse and a mother to him. She has been blessed to share the philosophical experiences and sense deeper values of life, in the company of her beloved husband during her three decades of service to the Tamil Nation. We offer her solace on behalf of our nation and our leader.

Let us march forward on our journey to freedom with the blessings of our nations foremost son and voice," Thamilchelvan concluded.